Artificial limb



H. J. MORRIS.

ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

APPLICATION mm 00111. 1918.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTGE.

HARRY J. MORRIS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

ARTIFICIAL LIMB.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY J. MORRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Limbs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to artificial limbs easily and quickly tensioning the knee joint so that the shin member shall be restrained in its movement. 'A further object is to produce a construction embodying the desirable features of simplicity, strength, durability and inexpensiveness of construction;

lVith these objects in View the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l, is a front view of a portion of an artificial leg embodying the invention.

Fig. 2, is a side view of the same.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged vertical section onthe line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4, is a section taken on the line IV-IV of and on the same scale as Fig, 3.

In the said drawing, 1 indicates the t igh member and 2 the shin member of an artificial leg. 8 indicates side bars projecting up vard from opposite sides of the shin member, and extending through the upper ends of said bars and through the thigh member of the leg, is the customary knee joint pivot 4-, the same being adapted to turn as the shin member assumes different positions with respect to the thigh member. An arm 5 secured to and within the shin member in a well-known manner, as indicated at 6 in dotted lines, extends through the customary vertical slot 6? in the rear wall of the thigh member which is preferably hollow for obvious reasons, and is adapted by abutment against the front end of said slot, or rather against a buffer, not shown, secured in said slot at such end, to

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentgd A 27 192() Application filed October 7, 1918. Serial No. 257,112.

wardly from the sides of the shin member to a plane above the ZLXlS of the knee joint pivpt, and said brackets are provided at their upper ends with buttons 8 for engagement by external inner and outer suspender straps 9, which, as usual, are adapted to constantly exert an upward pull, and therefore tend to swing the shin portion to alinement with the thigh portion, this tendency being true whether the wearer be standing, walking or seated.

As it is undesirable that the pivotal connection between the members of the leg shall be too unrestrained in action, I have provided simple and effective means for tightening the pivotal knee joint connection, constructed as follows:

10 indicates split sleeves of fiber or other hard, durable and sound-deadening mate rial, fitting around the pivot 4 and glued for about half of their circumferences in openings in opposite sides of the thigh member, and for precautionary reasons said split sleeves are secured by pins 11 and 12 to said thigh member, one of the pins engaging each sleeve close to one of the split edges thereof, and the other at a diametrically opposite point so as to leave almost half of the circumference of each sleeve free for adj ustment.

It is preferable to arrange the sleeves and pins so that the adjustable portions of the former shall underlie the joint for a reason hereinafter mentioned, and below the sleeves the thigh portion is provided with openings 13 for the reception of the tapered ends of wedge screws l i mounted and adjustable in the cylindrical nuts 15 of fiber or the like, it bein desirable to use fiber, because it is more durable as a threaded support for screws than the material of the artificial leg. It is also preferable to make said nuts of fiber vbecause they can be glued in place and hence can be employed at less expense than metal nuts, which would require some other special means of fastening and also because the fiber nuts are lighter than metal nuts.

By adjusting the wedge screws forward, they engage and press the free portions of the friction sleeves 10 tightly against the pivot 4, so that the latter shall be prevented from turning too readily under the pull of the suspender, thus giving better control of and a more natural shin movement. In this connection it is desirable to state that the wedge screws engage the sleeves below the pivot because the weight of the wearer is thus carried by the pivot and not by the ends of the screws, which would be true in a large measure if the latter engaged the friction sleeves 10 above the pivot 4.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced an artificial limb having an external strap connection for continuously exerting pulling force on the shin member to straighten; the leg as a whole, and by which the knee joint pivot can be easily, quickly and effectively tensioned when desired without removing the same from position, and while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to make all changes falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. In an artificial limb, a thigh memberanda sh1n member pivotally connected to gether to constitute a knee joint; said thigh member having openings underlying and disposed transversely of thepi'vot, resilient fiber sleeves fitted around the pivot above said openings, and split from end topivot leaving the lower half from said split rearwardly loose and free to swing toward and from the underside of the pivot, and adjustable means in said openings for applying upward pressure on said free ends of said sleeves for causing the same to bear firmly against the pivot.

2. In an artificial limb, a thigh member and a shin member pivotally connected together to constitute a knee joint; said thigh member having openings underlying and disposed transversely of the pivot, resilient fiber sleeves fitted around the pivot above said openings, and split from end to end at a point in the plane of the front side of the pivot and in a plane below the of said pivot, means for fastening the up per half of' said sleeves rigidly to said pivot leaving the lower half from said split rearwardly loose and free to swing toward and from the underside o-f'the pivot, fiber sleeves secured in said openings, and wedge screws engaging said sleeves with a threaded relation and at their wedge ends engaging the said loose endsof said first-named sleeves to press the same firmly against said pivot.

8'. An artificial limb, comprising a thigh member and a shin member having a knee joint pivotal connection, brackets projecting upwardly from the shin member at opposite sides thereof, and pull straps detachably secured to said arms at points above and forward of the axis of the knee joint pivot.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' HARRY J. MORRIS. 

